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Looking forward to tasting this curious - I think - wine, with you all…soon…
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Is Prunelart the grape or the winery?
And if it’s the grape, whats the producer and vintage?
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Thought I had found something really weird when I spotted a pinot noir “white” among all the white wines at Waitrose. Sadly, it was red and had been put in the wrong place. Instead, it’s puklavec & friends cabernet sauvignon and merlot 2017. Produced in the Republic of Macedonia. Bottled by Puklavec Family, with a Slovenia address. Their website says that their vineyards are in Slovenia, so I’ve no idea where vinification and bottling took place. Have emailed them, so might have an answer tonight.
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I believe Prunelart is the parent of Malbec (if French wine scholar memory isn’t becoming too dim)… Originally from Gaillac region. Would be interesting to hear whether it bears any resemblance to Malbec.
I think the syntax of my question was framed a little badly, I’ve been to Gaillac a few times 
I was interested to know who the producer was - Gaillac is a complicated region - there are several AOP’s within the AOP, and an awful lot of people declassify their wines (particularly Plageoles, Causse Marines and Peyre-Rose) because they disagree with the AOP rules allowing lots of ‘international’ varieties.
As for Prunelart, my own view is that it doesn’t have as much interest as the other local red varieties like Duras and Braucol as a single variety, but it’s (I think) unique to Gaillac, so it gets pushed quite often.
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My apologies! I got the wrong end of the stick! I was a little surprised, as I know the area is your passion 
Only ever tried it once, but was seriously taken with it and its incredibly unusual flavours. Should try some more examples…
Domaine d’Escausses is, IMHO, one of the top 3 producers in the area (along with Causse Marines and Plageoles). Last time we were there the lady who runs it emerged from a barn looking like, and I really don’t know how else to put this, she’d just been in there with her lover and was rather shocked by our presence. My other half and I still laugh about it 
I’ve been blown away before by the quality of Plageoles 100% Duras - the 3-4 times I’ve visited the winery, I’ve only managed to buy it once direct, as it generally sells very quickly (luckily, the city of Albi nearby has a very vibrant local food/drink culture, so it’s easy to find there in one of the many high quality wine shops/restaurants/bars).
I don’t know why it isn’t pushed more, but as I say, the internecine politics of the AOP make single-variety bottlings difficult. I haven’t fathomed the exactitudes of why, but luckily one time we visited Bernard Plageoles son, who speaks impeccable English, gave us a reasonable explanation as to why the bottlings of the same wines can change from year to year and often get declassified. Apparently, so many local growers have 'known, ‘successful’ and easier to grow international varieties in their vineyards, they have to be allowed (encouraged?) politically as part of the rules, otherwise it would put many small producers out of business. Added to that, many of the historic varieties are harder (more expensive) to handle.
I’m heavily in favour of AOP’s (just like Didier Dagueneau was 
) because it stops the unscrupulous from exploiting the quality of others, but in this instance, it highlights it’s inflexibility, and actually forms a bit of a ‘drag-anchor’ on quality.
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Ah! Well that’s good to know. This wine was certainly unique. We tried it at a local tasting called ‘Obscure France’ - there was nothing too obscure about most of the regions covered, but this wine really stood out for us. I love Fer/Marcillac, and as Fer (which I think is called Braucol in Gaillac?!) was part of the blend it didn’t feel completely unknown. Would be interesting to try a 100% Duras!
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Yeah, Fer Servadou in pretty much everywhere apart from Gaillac. I absolutely love the Lo Sang del Pais Iron/Clayey/earthy bottling, it’s so unique (I don’t know Marcillac well at all, it’s a bit out-on-a-limb compared to the other SW areas).
My top three isn’t always generally agreed on as I understand - the guy in the wine shop in Cordes sur Ciel thinks that Peyre Roses, Ch. Lecusse and somebody else who I sadly forget, are also top-of-the-tree, but that my three are most know outside the area.
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I’ll get back to you… The bottle details are sparse. I believe its the grape… Would it be Gaillac? I can’t access the room the bottle is in, fir a while…
I think it’s produced in the Gaillac area, though if it is 100% Prunelart, there is a high likelihood that it is listed as Vin de France rather than Gaillac (again, I can’t give a definitive answer as to why some is and some isn’t).
Anyway, for the interested (and god bless Andrew Jefford for making Decanter a little less orthodox)…
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Will be opening the 2013 Clos Stegasta Asyrtyko by T-Oinos, only weird as it is from Tinos, not Santorini.
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The thread for tonight’s tasting is now live - please head over and continue posting your photos of the wines you’ll be trying tonight!
I’ll close this topic now, to avoid any confusion.